Swordfish: The Album

Essentially a Paul Oakenfold solo album doubling as the soundtrack to the John Travolta counter-espionage action thriller of the same name, Swordfish also features other artists' tracks, remixed by this groundbreaking trance master. On Swordfish: The Album, Oakenfold maintains a frenzied pace that melds well with the film's storyline, which centers/i>/i>

Overview

Essentially a Paul Oakenfold solo album doubling as the soundtrack to the John Travolta counter-espionage action thriller of the same name, Swordfish also features other artists' tracks, remixed by this groundbreaking trance master. On Swordfish: The Album, Oakenfold maintains a frenzied pace that melds well with the film's storyline, which centers around the cyber world of computer hacking. He packs his hard-driving remix of Muse's "New Born" with enough swooshing synths and breakneck tempos to make Giorgio Moroder blush and maintains the energy level on his own "Speed" with a fusion of funky cadences and samples of speeding cars. Oakenfold threads dialogue from the film throughout the soundtrack and cleverly incorporates the voices of Travolta and Halle Berry in "Stanley's Theme," his big beat collaboration with Christopher Young. Elsewhere, Oakie plays William Orbit to Jan Johnston's sex-kittenish, Madonna-esque vocals, setting them amidst chunky beats and an acid-house swagger on "Unafraid." Equally impressive is a Timbaland-flavored remix of N.E.R.D. (also known as the beat-savvy production team the Neptunes) sinister "Lapdance," featuring rappers Lee Harvey and Vita, and a remake of Afrika Bambaataa's electro-funk classic "Planet Rock," enhanced by an infusion of booming break beats. On his first attempt at composing an entire soundtrack, Paul Oakenfold proves that he's capable of adapting his dance-floor magic to the demands of the big screen.

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Jason Birchmeier

The much-hyped Swordfish soundtrack signals a questionable return to the studio for longtime dance superstar Paul Oakenfold. Granted, Oakenfold had done a few remixes here and there during the mid- to late '90s, but for the greater part of the '90s he funneled his efforts into his gigantic DJing persona and his fledging Perfecto label. Not since the late '80s/early '90s when he produced and remixed tracks for the likes of the Happy Mondays, the Cure, U2, and New Order had Oakenfold displayed more than a passing interest in studio work. Of course, there's also the longtime debate over that work, with many proposing that Steve Osborne was in fact the primary brains behind those classic productions. No matter how you look at it, more than a few people were looking at this soundtrack with a skeptical eye, wondering if Oakenfold's production and remixing talents were still relevant in 2001. After all, the man had never fared too well with critics, and was unabashedly despised by much of the American techno/house community. In the end, his efforts on Swordfish are true to his early-2000s progressive trance aesthetic. While other late-'90s trance superstars such as John Digweed were found shying away from the suddenly passé sound in the early 2000s, Oakenfold embraces it here. In fact, he even goes as far as transforming "Planet Rock" into a seven-minute breakbeat trance anthem -- something that would be considered downright blasphemous in many circles. It's fairly apparent Oakenfold isn't trying to convert his critics with this album; he's giving his fans what they want, and that's in-your-face, adrenaline-inducing progressive trance. Most of the tracks here are collaborations with Andy Gray, with Oakenfold doing none of the production or remixing work on his own. Besides the "Planet Rock" remix, a remix of NERD's "Lapdance" is notable, but in the end, nothing here is that exceptional besides "Get Out of My Life" and "Unafraid," two vocal tunes that integrate a conventional pop song template. In short, this album isn't going to change anyone's view of Oakenfold. If you're an advocate, you'll feast; if you're a critic, don't bother.